Richardson standing tall as shortest of the Trashers

Published 1:00 am, Thursday, November 25, 2004

Being the shortest man on a roster sporting 17 players standing 6 feet or taller, spotting the 5-foot-9 Richardson is pretty simple.

His size did not deter the Danbury Trashers from signing Richardson.

"There's a lot of players out there that are 6-3 that scouts and coaches wish played like (Richardson)," Danbury coach
Todd Stirling
said. "Where in one regard he didn't get a lot of size, this, that and the other, he's made up for it in intensity and those type of things."

Richardson said his intensity does not come from making up for his smaller stature but rather is his normal playing style.

"It's details - finishing the body checks, being there for my teammates, blocking shots, make sure I get the puck out," Richardson said. "When you do those kind of things, you get some points and you'll get a goal."

Apparently the tactic works for Richardson, who has totaled 13 points through 15 games.

Richardson's five goals, two of which are game-winners, are the second-highest total so far this season. He also is tied for third on the team with six assists.

"From prior years in comparable levels to ours and in the junior leagues, he had the capabilities of scoring goals," Stirling said.

The most goals Richardson scored in a single season was during the 2002-03 season, when he combined for 26 goals for three different teams.

Most of Richardson's career has been in the AHL, where he previously played eight seasons. He logged in six seasons and 159 games with Hershey.

In the AHL, however, Richardson played a much different role than what he has now at Danbury.

"(In the AHL), he was a hard worker, penalty killer and haven't been thrusted into the skilled roles," Stirling said. "We've all of a sudden thrusted him in that role at this level because he's capable. . . . He's had to make an adjustment in that he's now one of the skilled players and not just a mucker."

His five goals already eclipsed his single-season total from last season, when he scored three goals in 58 games with the Bears and IceGators.

Richardson admitted he didn't get adjusted to his new role until about five games into the season.

In addition to his scoring role, he also is seeing more playing time compared to the past few seasons. Richardson, primarily a third- and fourth-line player in the AHL, said he works out at least twice a week after team practice to condition himself to playing longer.

"It's kind of different because I'm a guy who went from going eight, nine minutes a game, and I'm here playing 25 minutes a game," Richardson said. "(Here) I play in every situation, but I was just a penalty killer (in the AHL)."

Even though Richardson brings experience to the team, he realized early in the season the Trashers needed him to produce on the ice.

"If you're not a top scorer or a point-a-game guy, they won't take a guy that's coming there to work hard," Richardson said. "They have a lot guys that are young that are able to do that job."

The Ville St. Pierre, Quebec native has come close to reaching the pinnacle of the playing level. He has appeared in NHL exhibition games for the
Detroit Red Wings
and the
Colorado Avalanche
.

He never appeared in any regular-season NHL games, but Richardson said he still is happy with how his career has unfolded.

"I've been making a living for eight years playing pro hockey and it's not in the NHL," said the 27-year-old Richardson. "So there's a lot of hockey in Europe or the minor leagues and they're making a good living."

When his playing days are over, Richardson still plans on staying in the sport. He said he has aspirations to coach, and he has had some experience in that field.

"I want to stay in hockey," said Richardson, who hopes to play at least until he is 35. "I don't know if that's in my future, if that's going to happen, but I'll do everything to be a coach."

NOTE: Due to an early press start the result of Wednesday night's road game against Elmira is not in the paper. . . . The Trashers begin a four-game homestand Friday night with a game against Richmond at 7:30.